Process of ice-making.



P. R. MCGRARY.

PROCESS 0? ICE MAKING.

'AFPLIOATION FILED OUT. 2, 1904.

Pqtented July 5,1910.

5440044 for @3313 Math 01421 1:

PIERCE R.

rnoopss or ICE-MAKING.

To all whom it mag! oncern:

Be it known that I, PIERCE R. MCCRARY,

' a citizen of the United States, and resident of Philadelphia, in thecounty of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certainnew and useful improvements in Processes of ice-Making, of which,tainers and 11 is an outlet pipe the following is a specification. 1

This invention relates to a process of ice making and has in view theproduction of ice in stationary containers, abolishing the necessity ofremoving and replacing such containers.

It further has in view the production of transparentice withoutdistillation of the water used and without employment. of stirrers inthe ice containers, all as will more fully appear from the detaileddescription, the claims and the drawing in which Figure l is a plan ofan apparatus with which my process may becarried out. Fig. 2 a sectionon line 2-2 ofl ig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detailview of a container.

In the figures lrepresents a water tank preferably supplied with aninsulating packing. The lower portion of the tank 2 constitutes an airtight cooling compartment surrounding the ice 3, 3, which containerscommunicatebelow through the pipes 4, 4 and above through openings in.the sides, 5, 5.

(5 is an inlet pipe for water and 7 is an outlet pipe for Water.

. Sis an inlet pipe for air andt) is an out: let pipe for air. i x

10, 10 'are spray pipes to spraysolution of CtllCllllTlGlll01ld againstthe sides of the confor the calcium chlorid solution.

12 is a drip pipe for moisture condensed from air used to thaw the iceformed in the containers 3, so as to become loose and rise to the top ofthe water coverin it.

13 are diaphragms of rub or mother elastic material to allow anexpansion of the water in the pipes after the ice in the containers hasfrozen solid, when no upward expansion is admitted.

14' represents insulating material such as cork, placed between theupper portions 0 the containers, and 15 represents like materialsurrounding the outlet pipes tom of the containers. The outlet pipes arestill further protected against-freezing by the air channel 16, (Fig. 3)between the pipes and the insulating material 15. v

4 at the bot- Specification of Letters Patent.

cans or containers I nish increased room for the MCCRABY, OFPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

Patented July 5, 1910. Application filed October 3. 1904. Serial No.227,057. i I

li tl ig. 3) are rods from which the con tainers 3, 3 are suspended.

l8 are partitions separating one compartment from another. i

. 19 is a cover for an ice container.

Theo eration of the apparatus as follows: ll ater is introduced throughthe pipe (3 until it overflows through the pipe 7. 01 air is then passedin through the pipe 8 and out through the: pipe 9 water circulatingthrough the tank until the ice is frozen solid in some of thecompartments when the circulation is sto ped and pleted while t to waterin the tank is quiescent. Cold calcium chlorid solution is sprayed the 7air is passed through the compartment 2. By the combined action of thespray of cold calcium chlorid solution and cold air, the period offreezing is very much shortened. The cold air may also he used alonewithoutv any spray. After the freezing, air above the freezing point ispassed through the compartment 2. through the inlet pipe 8 and theoutletpipe 9. This air current is continued until the blocks of ice havethawed enough to become loosened and float on the top of the water inthe tank. The insulating material l t serves to prevent icc forming atthe upper portion of the containers 3, and the insulating material l5and the, air chan nel 16 serve to prevent the water inthe pipes 4: fromfreezing. After the freezing on the four sides of the container hasproceeded so far thatthe faces of ice meet and unite',a current of Watercan no longer be passed through the containers 3. This closing 0 the iceblock may serve as an automatic means for cutting oif the current ofwater passing through the tank 1, or this current maybe stoppedarbitrarily when the freezing has proceeded to a certain point, forabout four fifths of the size of the finished blocks. After the faces ofice on the four sides have united thefurt her formation of ice on thelower part of the block will cause an e an'sion, and this expansionwould burst the plpes i unless provision was made to furcontained water.This is done by the elastic diaphragms 13.

.This process involves a number of valuable features. In the first placethe containers being stationary, the time and labor ordinarily requiredto remove and replace themis saved. In the second place, a volthefreezing is comsame time the current of cold instance when iceblockshave reached a size I ume of cold brine to surround the containersis dispensed with and the labor and time I required to dpump it issaved. The inconvenience an disadvantage of maintaining a large volumeof liquid at a low temperature, which liquid constantly takes up heatfrom the adjacent atmosphere, is also avoided. In the third place theintroduction of stirrers into the containers and their removal isdispensed with. In the fourth place the slow current of Water throughthe series of tanks carries off enough air to prevent air bubbles to beinclosed in the ice, and in this way perfectly transparent ice is formedwithout the use of distilled Water, a feature of the utmost importance.The fact that the water is allowed to remain quiescent during the laststage of the freezing is also a feature of value both as re gards thetransparency of the ice produced and also in economy. The process as awhole is the cheapest and most efficient for the production oftransparent ice from non-distilled Water.

cWlliLt I claim as new is:

4 1. In the art of ice making the improvement which consists inconfining volumes of water in a series of open receptacles, applying arefrigerating agent to the sides of the ment which consists in confininga volume of Water in an open receptacle, applying a refrigerating agentto the lower portion of the receptacle so as to leave a layer of Waterabove the ice formed, causing a How of water to be maintained throughthe receptacle during a period of the freezing, then allowing the waterto remain quiescent during the completion of the freezing and cansingthe frozen portion to rise to the surface of the Water. t

Signed at Philadelphia in the county of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania this 13th day of September A. D. 1904:.

PIERCE v R. MQCRARY. lVitnesses C. A. O. RosnLL, DAVID A. I'IAMMOND.

